With Concordia’s full return to on-campus activities this year, we wanted to make our 13th issue a celebration of reconnection, collaboration, and a renewed sense of community. The inspiration for this year’s theme is Impetus, a powerful, momentous force that prompts change and action. 

Being a part of the InARTE Journal has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I have had the deep pleasure of working alongside a group of wonderful and talented team members. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication! What we have accomplished together this year would not have been possible without the keen eye and guidance of our Faculty Advisor, Kathleen Vaughan. We wish to thank FASA and the CSU for their funding and support. Thank you to the Concordia Greenhouse, and VAV Gallery for your support and collaboration and to Tricia Enns, our managing editor. Each of your invaluable contributions helped make this year’s issue a success!

Sincerely,

Pansy Kostoulias

2nd Year, Art Education

Editor, InARTE Journal 

2022-2023

cat Lipiec - this dude is everywhere - issue 13

Cat Lipiec

2nd year, Ceramics

This Dude is Everywhere

dimensions variable

fibres (tissue paper, clear tape, string)

2022-23

Description:

This Dude is Everywhere aims to bring people together through smiles, laughter, and even confusion. When we live in a world filled with poverty, inequality, climate change, and so much more, it’s no wonder so many of us struggle with our mental health. The goal of this piece is to make people smile. These wildly colourful wearables have a magical effect on those that encounter them. I occasionally strut the streets of Montreal in the suits to see how people react to something random and unobtrusive interrupting their everyday lives. Made from party supplies, the suits bring people together through these encounters. In November 2022, I invited a group of people to take part in a parade with 16 smaller pieces they could choose from and put on however they pleased. Together we embarked through the Concordia tunnels and library, and everyone who participated commented that it was exactly what they and their exam-ridden classmates needed; a spark of hope and laughter in the community. 

Levana Katz - swarm - issue 13

Levana Katz

6th year, Studio Arts

Swarm

collection of pieces ranging between 7.5″ x 20″ and 4″ x 12″

screenprint on paper, beeswax

2022

Description:

Swarm is part of an ongoing exploration of Hebrew calligraphy as a reference for my drawing practice. Hebrew calligraphy is an important part of my connection to both my Jewish heritage and my family, as it is a skill my mother passed on to me.

In these silkscreen prints, the fluid lines of the Hebrew letter “Lamed” (the first letter of my name) constitute the bodies of dragonflies, my mother’s favourite insect. In Jewish Mysticism, dragonflies represent transformation. While the Hebrew letters are reimagined as dragonflies, a symbol of continuity and change, they are encased in wax, a static material. The organic forms of the prints carry the tension between preservation and growth, as the final sculptures signal to a swarm of dragonflies in flight, insects encased in captivity, or a calligraphic signature.

The InARTE Journal’s 11th issue was made possible thanks to the work of our Graphic Designer Jean-Philippe Poirier, our Social Media Coordinator and Meditation Instructor Aná Dafré, Assistant Editor Andrea Rosati, Editor Morgane Poezevara-Stevens, Managing Editor Tricia Enns and with the support of our Faculty Advisor, Kathleen Vaughan. With the unique abilities of each of our team members, the Journal was able to host a multitude of amazing online events that brought the Art Education and Fine Arts community together during the pandemic, when physical interaction wasn’t possible. By the power of online connection, the InARTE Journal was able to partake in a community check-in, a midterm survival stretch and meditation event, as well as a celebratory ‘5 à 7’ open studio prior to final critiques. This year’s accomplishments are truly all thanks to the hard work of our team members who brought life, joy and creativity into the production of our 11th issue! 

With COVID-19 necessitating transition into online learning and our finding new ways to adapt to our socially distanced environment, the theme ‘Interaction’ seemed fitting for this edition of the Journal. We complement the Journal’s on-going presentation of undergraduate work with Synergy, a month-long, multimedia virtual exhibition that investigates and explores the different ways in which we interact with our environment and community as artists and art educators, and that features works of seven Fine Arts students at Concordia. Synergy is the product of collaboration, combining each participant’s unique talents to work together towards a common goal. Showcasing lesson plans, paintings, drawings, music and sculpture, the exhibition — like this issue of the Journal itself — frames the theme of interaction through diverse perspectives. View the online exhibition here.

Sincerely,

The 11th edition InARTE Journal Team